The Bellwomen: The Story of the Landmark AT&T Sex Discrimation Case
"The Bellwomen is a thorough, and thoroughly enjoyable, account of an important piece of history-the legal action that launched a thousand careers. Marjorie Stockford brings to life the stories of the pioneering women and the courageous government lawyer that helped open the workplace opportunities all women enjoy today. This book deserves to be widely read so that we don't forget how much effort was required to ensure simple equity, and as a reminder to remain vigilant against vestiges of...
Search in google:
"The Bellwomen is a thorough, and thoroughly enjoyable, account of an important piece of history-the legal action that launched a thousand careers. Marjorie Stockford brings to life the stories of the pioneering women and the courageous government lawyer that helped open the workplace opportunities all women enjoy today. This book deserves to be widely read so that we don't forget how much effort was required to ensure simple equity, and as a reminder to remain vigilant against vestiges of discrimination that can still creep into corporate cultures."-Rosabeth Moss Kanter, the Arbuckle Professor at Harvard Business School, and best-selling author of Men and Women of the Corporation and Evolve!"This book provides an insightful perspective, putting in better context the leaps women have made at AT&T over the past thirty years. The women profiled in this book paved the way for many of us who have competed and advanced on equal ground over the past twenty years."-Cathy Martine, AT&T Senior Vice President - Voice Internet Services and Consumer Product Management "An engrossing and enjoyable book...This story is real-life history, a vivid example of changing structure, from the inside."-Patricia A. Roos, professor of sociology, Rutgers University; and author of Job Queues, Gender Queues In the early 1970s, David Copus, a young lawyer, teamed up with his government colleagues to confront the mature and staid executives of AT&T over the company's treatment of its female and minority employees. Their disagreement resulted in a $38 million settlement that benefited 15,000 employees, more than 13,000 of them women, and changed our perceptions of women's and men's roles in the workplaceforever. Copus, who worked for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), was charged with representing American citizens who suffered from employment discrimination. Time and again he saw young, black women in the South being turned down for available jobs in local phone companies-usually as telephone operators-often for no valid reason. He and the EEOC decided to challenge AT&T's company-wide sex discrimination practices. Eventually, AT&T's corporate colleagues, witnessing AT&T's capitulation, began to hire and promote women into better jobs themselves. At the same time, the EEOC started to aggressively push corporate America to give women more opportunities.The Bellwomen recounts the history of this case in a novelistic style, illuminating the motivations, strengths, and weaknesses of all the players, from AT&T corporate leaders, to the lawyers of the EEOC, to the female activists fighting for what they believed. Stockford also profiles three beneficiaries of the case, presenting their ambitions and achievements.Combined with the power of America's civil rights laws and the influence of the second wave women's movement, this case provided a catalyst that drove many more women into the paid workforce in non-traditional jobs. By the late twentieth century, when women could be seen working everywhere, from construction sites to corporate offices, it appeared that they belonged there and always had.Marjorie A. Stockford is a writer and consultant who was a beneficiary of AT&T's 1973 landmark employment discrimination settlement with the U.S. government. Formerly an executive with the YWCA of the U.S.A., she holds degrees in engineering, business, and public administration, the latter from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
PrefaceixCast of Key CharactersxiList of AbbreviationsxvIntroduction1Beneficiary Profile: Peggy Falterman51The Idea: November 197092The Petition: Late Fall 1970213The Reaction: December 1970314The Beginning: Winter/Spring 197143Beneficiary Profile: Gwen Thomas575The Paper: Spring/Summer 1971616The Case: Fall 1971/Winter 1972777The Testimony: Winter/Spring 1972958The Field: Spring 1972114Beneficiary Profile: Margaret Hoppe1339The First Agreement: Spring/Fall 197213710The Explosion: Fall 197215011The Defense: Late Fall 197216412The Settlement: Late Fall 1972/Winter 197318313The Benefit20014The Impact208Epilogue218Acknowledgments221Notes223Interview Dates237Index239
